Christmas Cookies for Santa: Back to Chocolate
Even though I gave in and ate five of the thumbprint cookies, maybe Santa disliked the stick, sugary jam. Maybe he preferred a thicker filling, one that didn’t shake like his belly when he laughed. Maybe he wanted a decadent dessert after all. Continue reading for recipe.
Christmas Cookies for Santa: Avoiding Sticky Situations
My fruity moment of brilliance really shone in the striped bars, but with the jam exposed on the sides of the cookies, Santa might stain his clean white gloves a deep raspberry red. Since Mrs. Claus already washes chimney soot out of his suit every Christmas, I thought she’d thank me if I tried to minimize the amount of stain stick and detergent she used. Which mean another “round” of cookies… Continue reading for recipe.
Christmas Cookies for Santa: Changing the Crunch
An explosion of almond extract hit my taste buds as I munched away on one (okay, three) of my biscotti. But as the crumbs collected on my shirt, another doubt crossed my mind. What if Santa forgot to dunk the crunchy cookies in milk? At his age, his teeth probably chip quite easily, and I didn’t want to be charged with Santa’s new denture bill. So I pulled the almond extract back off of the shelf to mix up a batch of chewier bar cookies. Continue reading for recipe.
Christmas Cookies for Santa: More Modifications
While the rice krispie bars looked cute and festive, what if Santa developed diabetes from all of the marshmallows, powdered sugar, and sugar sprinkles I added to the treats? Before anyone accused and found me guilty of sending Santa to the Emergency Room for a sugar overload, I mixed up a batch of healthier bar cookies. Continue reading for recipe.
Christmas Cookies for Santa: Third Time’s a Charm!
When I sampled the chocolate chip cookies, Einstein’s light bulb lit up in my head. Santa loved chocolate. What man circling the world in one single night could resist that warm, tingling feeling from a bite of chocolate that shoots all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes? With such a cold and long trip, I knew Santa longed for a pure chocolate cookie. Continue reading for recipe.
Christmas Cookies for Santa: A Second Try
After pulling the gingersnaps out of the oven, their spicy smell wafting through the house planted little seeds of doubt in my mind. What if every other family on the block baked ginger-based cookies? What if Santa moaned in disappointment upon finding another plate of these treats on our fireplace? I couldn’t let that happen, so once the gingersnaps moved to the cooling racks, I pulled out another set of measuring spoons. Continue reading for recipe.
Christmas Cookies for Santa
As Santa and his elves frantically finish building toys at the North Pole, I’m standing in my California kitchen, planning out Christmas Eve. Nearly every year, we pour a tall glass of milk for the jolly old man, but with all of the last-minute shopping, wrapping, and gift tagging, we completely forget to bake cookies for Santa. Continue reading for recipe.
A Pie-Less Thanksgiving
I love the Pilgrims who held the first Thanksgiving, especially those who continued the feast year after year. What other holiday calls for celebrating by bustling about the kitchen, cooking and baking all day? Thanksgiving and I were a match made in heaven. Continue reading for recipe.
The Sunshine in My Kitchen
Bright, creamy, and luscious, these lemon bars are the polar opposite to the rain drumming on my roof and the thunder rattling the dishes in my sink. Yes, thunderstorms. In May. I double-checked three different calendars to make sure I had the date right. With this unseasonably frigid rain and a broken heater, I used the excuse of baking to turn on the oven, heat up the house, and pretend it was actually spring by making this sunny batch of lemon bars. Continue reading for recipe.
The Inspiration Blues
Is food on the verge of rotting your biggest cooking inspiration? Yeah, mine too. It’s pretty embarrassing that slightly squishy fruit and green-speckled cheese jumpstart my creative juices more than the impressive chefs featured on “Chopped” and “Iron Chef America.” This time around, I needed to find a use for a basket of blueberries before they turned fuzzier than my new bunny slippers. Continue reading for recipe.
Foods for the Soul 